Want to move and teach in New Zealand - how??

Just wanted to offer a suggestion. I sent everything to NZQA a few months ago. I emailed them last week and they confirmed they were only waiting for conf of my PGCE. I have chased my university and they have found the letter and promised to reply asap. If you don't hear anything soon it may be worth contacting the NZQA to see what is outstanding so you can chase it up yourself.

Thanks for the tip - I think I will contact them and see what's going on - the teaching council bit has now been processed as far as it can go without the assessment from NZQA. I just want it all done!!

Well I thought I was being very well organised in my proposed move to NZ.

* Got my quals assessed and received report back - CHECK

* Registered with TC - CHECK

* Expression of Interest form sent and selected from Pool - CHECK

* Received Residency Application forms - CHECK

* Put house on market - **** - Estate agent valued house today and I found that it has dropped in value. Might make enough to pay for mortgage if we get asking price but quite possibly facing negative equity!

I really don't know what to do now for the best. We could sell up, rent somewhere very small and very cheap for remainder of year, work backsides off (already doing that to survive here though!) and save as much as possible. OR forget it.

Got 3 kids and non-teaching hubby so have to be very careful BUT we have been to NZ and loved it. It felt like finally coming 'home', if that makes sense.

I really feel for you! Just keep in mind the reasons why you're doing this - would you be happy staying here and being unfullfilled - or happier in NZ, even if you're skint??

I know which I would rather be.

It's so difficult to know the best order to do things. We have put our house up for sale whilst my qualifications are being assessed - had a few people to look round but no-one wants to buy it yet. We're hoping to sell it sooner rather than later so we can move in to rented accomodation and save money - as rent is cheaper than mortgage payments. We've also swapped our mortgage to paying off the interest only - as we hopefully won't have the house for much longer, there's no point in trying to pay it off - so we'rte saving a few hundred pounds a month there. We've also cancelled a few insurance policies etc that aren't needed any more - just trying to save some money from as many places as we can each month - we're hoping it'll add up....
We're also selling all the things we're not planning on taking with us (and we can live without) - again, to try and keep one step ahead of ourselves and also raise some money!

Just a little question - you've been selected from the pool and been sent the PR forms - have you got a job offer or not? I've been given the impression from a company in NZ that without a job offer it's unlikely I'll be selected from the pool as my points would only be 115. (165 with a job offer.) I am a primary teacher though - I think this makes a difference compared to secondary.

I too have 3 children and a non-teaching hubby - so I appreciate what you're going through. Keep in touch and let me know how things are going. Who knows, this time next year (if not sooner) we could all be in NZ living the dream.

You sound like my doppelganger Julie! You've done everything that I have - interest only mortgage payments, starting to sell stuff off, etc.

I haven't got a job offer and got 110 points on my EOI but was selected 5 weeks after submission. I teach secondary English though, so maybe that's why. Have you had your NZQA yet and registered with the Teaching Council? I was able to add that info to the EOI and apparently it shows that the applicant is committed. You only get four months to complete the residency forms (inc. medicals, xrays, passports, evidence of relationship, references, police checks, etc. etc.) and it costs over £1000 to submit the form itself cos of the Migrant Levy.

My dilemma is whether to risk continuing with the residency forms and paying out (the medical process alone will cost us a fortune!) and then keep all fingers crossed that we don't go into negative equity OR do I give up and let the residency applicaiton period lapse. That'll mean having to start again from scratch in a couple of years, having lost a lot of money in the process.

Anyway, how are you selling off your worldly goods? I've found that car boots and ebay are pretty much a waste of time these days as people want goods for free due to cheap shops selling new stuff for next to nothing (Primark and Wilkinsons spring to mind!)

I am still waiting for the results of my assessment from NZQA - it's been about 6 weeks now (even though I paid for fast track) - so I have emailed them to see what the hold up is. I sent my teaching council stuff off at the same time and all they are waiting for from me is the results of my assessment. Then I can start to apply for jobs..... eek!
Most of our stuff has gone on ebay - and it's selling. Got some big things like a piano that we don't know what to do with...
You're facing a dilemma and a half aren't you? Go with your head or your heart???
I hadn't realised how expensive the actual residency bit was - have you got any rough idea of the total costs? (I will have to keep this quiet from hubby!! Lol.) The lottery idea is a good one.....
Take care Julie x

Well, we really want to go with our hearts! We reckon we should be able to get there but we'd be starting completely from scratch. Basically, we'd only own what we are wearing! Are you making much on ebay though?

As for the residency process, hope you're sitting comfortably...so I'll begin. You need to send off:

* a covering letter
* fully complete the application form
* Birth certificates
* Passports
* Relationship evidence
* Custody/financial dependence of children
* evidence of job offer/current employment
* evidence of NZ registration if required to take up job offer
* evidence of work experience
* evidence of qualifications
* partner's job offer/qualifications
* evidence of their NZ reg
* medical certificates (a medical for each person, blood tests and xrays for adults and children over age 11 - VERY COSTLY but apparently you can shop around among the panel doctors - cheap in Liverpool so it'll cost us around £1100)
* Police certificates (I was lucky - they sent me 2 copies when I needed it for NZ Teacher's council)

Apparently, a CV is not evidence of work experience and there's very specific evidence they need BUT they have got to receive your completed application within 4 months of the date of the ITA! Blimey, how anyone who works full time can manage all that is beyond me.

Did you know that there is a New Zealand Expo in Leeds on 2 days in April? We've pre-registered our tickets and apparently it's very worthwhile going to one (may be another in London?) cos employers, banks, international relocation companies, etc. are, there. I got told by Select recruitment in Auckland that these expos are brilliant cos you usually get headteachers or their representatives attending. Hoping to at least get our names known, if not actually get a job out of it. We're only hoping to go in January though, so still some time off.

Hi SF
Blimey - what a lot of stuff to get together! You would have thought gathering everything for NZQA would be enough! I still haven't heard from them - I've emailed and not had a reply. Hope there isn't a problem....
I have also pre-registered for the Leeds Expo - just trying to find someone to have the kids for a day so we can go and concentrate on what we need to find out. Perhaps we could meet up there, if we're going on the same day?? Compare progress reports!! (or share a large G & T!)
Lv J x

Did anyone receive the letter from NZQA to tell them that their application was being processed? (As it states on the NZQA website.) I sent all my things off early Jan, paid for fast tracking (but I know now this actually doesn't mean anything...) have emailed via the link on the website and still haven't heard anything from anyone. Am I being an impatient, stressed out worrier for nothing? Would like to know if other's experiences were / are tha same.
Thank you
Julie
ps is there another way of emailing / contacting NZQA that I don't know about - other than writing / ringing!

I sent my stuff at the end of November I think. I have not had a letter, but I received an acknowledegment email about 3 weeks after. I have had a few emails since requesting further documents. Still waiting though!

I've just looked at my proof of postage and it was 10th Jan it was sent. So that's 6 weeks (I know it takes a week to get there - so it's 5 weeks). I've heard nothing at - not even an email. The payment has gone through on my visa - so I know it got there. I have emailed twice now and still nothing - any ideas??

I paid for fasttrack too. I got a standard email to say it had been received and was being assessed but it took 3 months to be completed. I had even previously contacted my uni and been given the contact details for the person who dealt with verifying results, which I supplied to NZQA when I sent off my documents. Don't forget, I daresay they would have had loads of applications in January with teachers suddenly realising they needed to go through NZQA to be able to do supply work at the start of the school year in Feb! You'll know when they have nearly finished their assessment when you receive your certificates back.

Anyway, all being well, we should be at the Leeds expo on the Sunday, so would look forward to meeting up!

Hi been reading with interest this thread, am just wondering if anyone knows whether or not the GTP scheme is accepted in NZ and do I have to do my nqt year in England before applying for jobs over there. Also what do i need to send to have my qualification assessed. I really want to go over to NZ and not sure where to start. Hsve sent a form of to see if I am eligible I suppose I should wait for that but reading this thread has made me get a bit panicky.

Hope we haven't put you off too much - if it's what you want to do, then go for it!
Not sure about the first bit of your post, but if you look on the NZQA website you can download / print off the application form for assessment of qualifications and there is a guide that tells you everything you need to collect. My advice is to start sooner rather than later as it took me about 3 months to gather all the relevant info.
Sorry if that doesn't help much!
Julie

You'd be better off doing a search on the Teaching Overseas forum - there's loads of info on there about teaching in NZ, GTP and relevant experience, etc. I'd check on there before you start paying out money for NZQA.